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  • How to Rank Your Business on Google Maps

    06 October 2021

    How to Rank Your Business on Google Maps

    Top Google ranking is like a throne every company wants to capture. It’s the hot seat that can help any company become a lethal force in the market. There is fierce competition in the market to appear on Google’s local pack. This is because the companies which appear in the Google 3-pack are most likely to get attention from quality customers, drive more traffic, increase customer queries and ultimately lead to more sales.   Local SEO Strategies to Improve Rankings on Google Maps in 2023 But how does one attain this coveted place and reach more customers? How does a company get good rankings on Google Maps search results? Is Google My Business and customer reviews so important to get organic rankings? What exactly is the Google 3-pack? In this blog, we will answer these questions and discuss various strategies that local SEO services can adopt for better organic rankings on google maps search results in 2023 & beyond. What are the benefits of getting ranked on Google Maps search results?  It has been found that 86.7% of the customers who search for any local business on Google Maps, tend to visit the business within the next 1-2 days More than 37% of searches on Google Maps search results lead to a customer purchase. Customer reviews are becoming critical on the Google My Business page and people are relying highly on them to make a purchase. Word cloud on Google review, which filters the results by important keywords like price, quality, experience etc. helps customers make an informed decision.  Google My Business page has evolved in recent years and offers great interactive functionalities like direct phone calls, visiting the website, book reservations in a matter of just a few clicks. This has increased the chances of conversions stupendously.     Important factors for Better Rankings on Google Maps Search Results Optimized and regularly updated Google My Business page. Add post regularly Images / Videos Update products Update services Services area Customer Reviews On-page Relevance NAPs (Name Address and Phone Number) and Citations Many people have started using the ‘near me’ suffix in their search queries on Google Maps to find local businesses. Search suggestions/prompts by Google itself are increasing the number of search queries tagged with ‘near me’ in the end. Professionals offering local SEO services are also streamlining their strategies to ace the local search results and appear on Google 3-pack.   Proven Strategies to get Great Google Maps Search Results Set up your Google My Business Page in the best way possible. Use correct information as you don’t want any other business to claim your listing or gain mileage because of insufficient information like a misspelled address, or phone numbers that no longer work. Get your listing verified by following the steps provided by Google and entering the code Choose the right category to list your business. Do complete research on available categories and also look for categories your competitors are listed in.    Having your business category in your business listing can be of help. Update working / business hours correctly. Use correct phone numbers and you may offer more than one contact number. Add an attractive and right business description. You might want to include your business category keyword, local area and city name and other local SEO-based keywords that can drive traffic.  Update photos regularly. Use high-quality professional photos that best describe your local business. Geotag your photos. This will help in driving location-specific traffic to your Google My Business page.  Update your GMB page with new posts frequently. You can push offers and deals for customers to cash in.  Install the app to provide customers with an instant chat option. Focus on getting as many positive customer reviews and ratings as possible. It will add a lot of credibility to your Google My Business page. Develop a great mobile-friendly website. Ensure that your website has the city mentioned in the address.  Sprinkle local-SEO-based keywords in your website content as well Add YouTube videos with the right titles having desired keywords    One can embed the Google My Business map on the contact us page.  Gain as many quality backlinks as possible to your Google My Business page.  Answer queries posted by customers.  Respond to Customer Reviews on the Google My Business page. Address grievances, take compliments and interact with customers.  Add a Google Map pin on the footer and the contact us page of the website  Post blogs on your website having your city and business category mentioned in them.  One can add schema on the website to inform Google about your location.  Ensure that your NAP (Name, Address & Phone Number) is consistently spelled across your website, social media pages and other online platforms.  At Consumer Sketch, we have seasoned professionals who have a proven track record in helping businesses rank higher in Google Maps search results. Get in touch with us today and let us help you get great organic rankings through our tailored local Seach Engine Optimization services.

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  • 5 PHP Web Development Trends to Watch in 2021

    17 August 2021

    5 PHP Web Development Trends to Watch in 2021

    PHP has been the choice of scripting language for web development for many years. Developers prefer to use the programming language because of its ease of use and simplicity. It is useful in developing a variety of web applications - both static and dynamic. PHP web development has been popular for so long that developers used it as the primary technology for all interactive websites.But in recent times, several developers argue about its effectiveness. While Laravel, a top PHP framework, has grown significantly in popularity, the language is witnessing mixed opinions from developers. They are skeptical about its prowess to build modern-day applications that are required for small and large businesses to succeed.However, PHP has what it takes to build applications that match the pace of today’s world. Any PHP website development company can confirm that the scripting language is still one of the most popular and useful scripting languages. We will highlight the latest trends in PHP development that showcase the relevance of the programming language for building robust and engaging websites.Five Top PHP web development trends to know in 2021PHP is an open-source scripting language, which makes website development affordable. Companies can hire PHP developers at a much lower cost than other developers. The technology also offers data flexibility, ensuring that developers can work with modern-day data-based applications.Following are the top PHP trends that web developers should know in 2021 to make the most use of the programming language - 1. Push notifications on websitesOne of the biggest trends in PHP web development is the emergence of push notifications on websites. Earlier the feature was available only on mobile devices. But because of PHP’s interactive nature and smart capabilities, today's websites can also send push notifications to the users. It will increase the engagement rate while improving the user experience, providing a more personalized feel to the visitors.2. AI-powered chatbotsThe next big thing to build using a PHP framework is AI-powered chatbots. Today, more and more companies want chatbots that can serve their customers. These bots act as virtual assistants and provide a wide variety of services to visitors. Chatbots enhance the user experience by being available 24x7, ensuring that the customers get the services as and when they need them.3. Voice search integrationToday, you can hire a PHP developer and get websites with voice search integration. It is the latest trend in web development. Voice search improves the effectiveness of the website and ensures that your results appear in the top result. Effective website development with PHP ensures that the company can integrate the voice search feature in your website, enabling users to easily navigate through your site.4. Next-gen UIPHP is used to build next-gen user interfaces as the technology has all the elements required to develop a dynamic website. The scripting language is one of the favourites for building user interfaces. There are amazing features for buttons, navigation, and media elements to design a top-notch interface for the website. It improves the user experience and the quality of the website, along with its performance.5. AR and VRToday, AR and VR are the two most popular technologies in web development. AR and VR provide a personalized experience to the users where they can visit and test different things. They can bring the world closer to the users by connecting them with it in real-time. Augmented and Virtual reality is used by experts in a PHP framework to integrate into websites for delivering a real-time experience of the products without visiting the store. The era of PHP web development is not over yet. It is still one of the best technology stacks for developing interactive, dynamic, and world-class apps. 

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  • Why Your Website Should Be Built On Wordpress

    24 June 2021

    Why Your Website Should Be Built On Wordpress

    WordPress powers over 34% of all websites.  It is a robust content management system(CMS) that enables the building of high-quality websites for every industry. Every website design and development company in India builds WordPress websites due to the dynamic nature of the platform. It is not just a blogging platform - WordPress is a full-fledged website builder for companies of all shapes and sizes. Any web development company in India would offer multiple CMS for building websites. However, WordPress remains their first preference. It can help to build e-commerce stores, healthcare websites, real estate sites, and much more. There are so many customizations that WordPress offers for websites that companies can actually build a dynamic website using the platform. This article will highlight the top reasons why your website should be built on WordPress. We will focus on different factors like affordability, customizations, and more. When you hire a website development company in India, you will get details about everything that WordPress offers to build dynamic websites. Keep reading to know the reasons. 5 Top Reasons Built your Website on WordPress Some of the leading websites built using WordPress include Techcrunch, Sony Music, BBC America, The New York Times, and MTV News, amongst several others. A website design and development company in India can use the platform to build similar websites for your business. Here are the 5 reasons you should WordPress for your website - 1. Open-source and affordable First of all - WordPress is free. Yes - you can download WordPress and install it on your website. You will need a domain and hosting before you can set up WordPress. The open-source nature of WordPress is admired by contributors and developers. There is no licensing fee as well - the software is completely free to use by anyone. You will have to pay the web development company in India for the building and the cost of the theme that you purchase. 2. Millions of themes WordPress has millions of themes available. You can choose any theme you want from ThemeForest, theme isle, and many more online stores. There are themes for all industries - e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, automotive, and more. You do not need coding knowledge to build websites on WordPress. There are predefined themes where you can change the content and get your website. 3. Plugins WordPress plugins help to add features and functionalities to the website. There is a plugin for everything - contact form, membership, analytics, and more. These plugins are the features for which you don’t have to write the code. Plugins help to add dynamic functionality to the web application. There are plugins that convert into website builders for WordPress if you can’t find the theme of your choice. 4. Simple management WordPress is simple and hassle-free. Any website development company in India with enough experience can easily manage WordPress using the dashboard. There are separate categories for everything - pages, posts, and more. You can create a backup or reset your website with simple plugins. The best thing is that WordPress is easy to learn and implement. It doesn’t take years of knowledge to master it. 5. SEO-friendly One of the biggest advantages of using WordPress for your website is that it is SEO-friendly. It is written using high-quality code and offers semantic markup. It implies that Google and other search engines just admire WordPress to make content easily accessible and readable to users. That is why WordPress websites tend to rank higher in search engines. There are SEO plugins like Yoast SEO through which you can further optimize your website for SEO. WordPress is the leading website development platform for companies today. It helps to build dynamic websites and offers advantages that go beyond simple CMS.

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  • How much should you spend on a website design?

    28 May 2021

    How much should you spend on a website design?

    Effective website design is important for the success of your business in this digital world. Getting an interactive website for your business is essential if you want to be visible in front of your customers through online channels. An experienced website design and application development company can help you build a website that will attract maximum visitors. A prevailing question is “what is the cost of building a website?” There are a lot of factors that you need to consider when calculating the cost of the website. Since it is going to be a one-time investment in your digital presence, the cost of a website should not be a concern. But while hiring a web development company in India, the cost is important. You don’t want to find yourself paying a lot of money for nothing. This article will highlight the factors that will help to determine the cost of building a website. Every website development company in India will charge differently by the average cost will be in a common range. We will also determine the final cost of developing a website that you need to pay for bringing your business online with the help of a website design and development company in India. Factors to consider while calculating website design cost A website can cost you hundreds and thousands of dollars depending on various factors. The more interactive and feature-rich you want it, the higher the cost will go. But you will reap the benefits of a good website for a long time. Here are the factors you need to consider while spending money on a website design -  1. Number of pages The biggest factor to consider is the number of pages. The more pages you have on your website, the higher it will cost. Each page will have different features and elements. It will require additional effort and demand more time from the website designer. On an average, a website has around 20-30 pages. But if you are looking for more, then you should be ready to extend your budget. 2. Website type Now a lot of money will be spent on the interactiveness of the website. You can either have a static website or a dynamic website. On a static website, content doesn’t change frequently. There are limited interactive components. However, when a web development company in India builds a website, it would suggest you to get a dynamic website because most modern companies achieve good results from that. 3. Features and content Needless to say, the more features you want the higher the website cost will be. Every element will require a lot of planning, effort, and time for development. Therefore, a highly interactive website will cost you much more than a static one. Apart from that, the website content is also a significant cost. You must focus on getting SEO-friendly copy and content so that your website appears in the top results of the search engines. The different costs associated with a website include - Website domain - $10 - $50 per year Shared / Managed Hosting - $30 - $500 per year Website theme - $10 - $300 per year Website content - $100 - $2000 Design & functionality - $2000 - $25000 SEO and Marketing - $100 - $5000 The average cost of building a website is around $5000 - $30000, depending on the type of website you want. Minimalistic sites cost less than a website filled with highly interactive features. Your website is your online visiting card. Anyone who wants to know about your business will start by looking at your website. So you need to be sure that you are hiring an experienced website development company for your site. Contact us today to discuss the right budget for your website development.

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  • Top Elements That Make a Good Ecommerce Website

    30 April 2021

    Top Elements That Make a Good Ecommerce Website

    eCommerce websites are a great way to expand your business and generate more revenue. It enables you to reach customers and markets that were once left untouched by you. Ecommerce website development is now a priority for retailers who are looking to lure digital customers. It is becoming the most convenient solution to purchase products, more so during the pandemic. Today, eCommerce stores are serving the world by making shopping easier.However, there are various aspects to eCommerce. Hiring a website development company will simplify your work - the professionals will provide valuable information and insights. There are multiple elements on an eCommerce website - the primary purpose of which is to make the shopping experience smoother. While most businesses make the mistake of thinking that a low-cost product on the front page will solve their problems, there’s more to it than meets the eye.In this article, we will focus on the top elements that make a good eCommerce website. Every eCommerce website design company follows a similar layout for online stores. Strategically placing the elements on the website will ensure that customers spend more time on your website. It will also encourage them to purchase and drive the right action at the right time.Top elements that make a good eCommerce websiteThe biggest benefit of an eCommerce website is that potential customers can reach you from anywhere. However, if they see a mismanaged website, they are more likely to leave the site than make a purchase. That’s why it is important to place the right elements in the right manner to ensure that visitors turn into customers. Here are the top elements that make a good eCommerce website - 1. Best Selling productsOne of the most important elements in eCommerce website development is the category of best-selling products. It needs to be displayed on the homepage. Knowing which products sell the most and often is a great motivator for customers. They get social proof and become psychologically accepting of that product. Therefore, showing the best-selling products is a necessity for every eCommerce website.2. Search functionThe search bar must show accurate results. It is an element that gets the most attention from your returning user or people who know your products. Even if they don’t the search bar must match the user's query with the exact product they are looking for. Most search functions do not provide accurate results. An eCommerce website design company can help you build an advanced search feature that can deliver better results to users.3. Zoom optionsA neglected element of an eCommerce website is the zoom option. Product pictures are important because most people want to look at their products before making a purchase. Allowing zooming in and out ensures that the customers can view the product carefully before they make the payment. By zooming in, they can feel the product and make an informed decision about whether to buy it or not.4. User-friendly navigationIf you are selling a lot of products, then user-friendly navigation is important for your website. Provide proper links to product categories, so that users can easily find the products. The navigation menu is essential for allowing the swift movement of customers from one product to another. It also increases the chances of upselling and cross-selling - which happens in good eCommerce websites more often than not.You can hire a leading website development company to install all the necessary elements on your eCommerce website. Apart from the above four, there are other aspects like the checkout process, ratings and reviews, and others that can impact the engagement of users with your site.

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  • Reasons Why You Should Develop An ECommerce Website

    22 March 2021

    Reasons Why You Should Develop An ECommerce Website

    If you are looking to bring your business online and generate more revenue, then an eCommerce site is your perfect combination. Companies specializing in web design and development in India suggest that you have your own eCommerce website to build a brand name for yourself and increase your sales.  Today, more and more businesses are hiring a website design and development company in India for their own eCommerce site and reaping the advantages of online selling. The pandemic has driven the entire world online. Customers want convenience and easy access to products they love. An eCommerce website lets them purchase products online without stepping out from the comfort of their home. Whether you are a clothing business or an electronics store, you need to hire a web development company in India and get your own eCommerce website. In this article, we will look at the different reasons for owning an eCommerce website for your business. If you want to reach a large number of customers and don’t want to lose out on revenue, then having an online shopping site should be your priority. Let’s look at all the reasons in detail. 5 Reasons you should have your own eCommerce website A website is the digital front page of your business. It showcases who you are and builds your brand. Having an online marketplace will turn your business into an easily accessible online store. Here are a few reasons you should have your own online shopping store in today’s times - 1. Direct marketing Just like offline marketing, you can directly market to potential customers and existing ones through digital channels. In fact, you can reach out to more people than ever before. By building an email list, you can directly target your customers by sending them offers and discounts on products. It also provides you with the opportunities to promote your products to customers that were once out of your reach. 2. Increase your revenue Online shopping trends are increasing every day. Companies offering website design and development in India are seeing a surge in demand for online stores. An eCommerce store will help to increase your revenue twofold as most people now prefer to purchase products online. You can multiply your sales by targeting customers both online and offline. It will ensure that while you may lose offline revenue, your online business is generating enough profits. 3. 24x7 open store The best thing about hiring a website development company in India for your eCommerce site is that you will have a store that is open 24x7. Yes, even when you are sleeping, the chances are that someone will place an order. This way, you can sell products all the time without having to worry about missing customers if they find your store closed. You can also provide good customer support if customers know what time you will be available for calls through a chatbot. 4. Market expansion A website design and development company in India can build a store for you that enables rapid market expansion. With the right SEO plan, social media, and content marketing, your eCommerce store can reach new markets and get more opportunities to increase sales. While physical stores had geographical restrictions, online stores have no such boundaries. People can search you online and place products while sitting in another city. 5. Increase brand identity You can easily strengthen your brand identity by hiring a web development company in India and getting an eCommerce site of your own. Most customers today remember the marketplace rather than the company itself. Therefore, if your brand has an online store, there are more chances that your brand awareness will increase. Not only will it lead to new customer acquisition, but it will also lead to repeat customers and increase your business. Contact us if you need web and mobile application development services for your eCommerce site.

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